Welcome to the Exceptional Nurse Blog! I am Donna Maheady, EdD, ARNP, founder of www.ExceptionalNurse.com, the nonprofit resource committed to inclusion of people with disabilities in nursing. We facilitate inclusion of students with disabilities in nursing education programs and foster resilience and continued practice for nurses who are, or become, disabled. We celebrate abilities, share resources and examples of nurses with disabilities who work with and without accommodations.

Subscribe To

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Alyssa Skillman, RN, BSN had the wonderful opportunity to create a canvas and
acrylic painting for the Boston Scientific Neuromodulation headquarters in
California. They have a program that allows their patients with implanted
devices to create artwork and send it in to be hung at the corporate office. Alyssa stated, "my rep knew I like to paint so she was excited to get me into the program. The
company sent me the painting supplies and guidelines (for consistency
purposes). This is what I created and the meaning behind it."

February 7, 2017

Thank
you for the opportunity to share my artwork. I hope you will take a moment to
read what this painting represents and what it means to me.

I based this painting on the Bible
verse Matthew 6:26, that says “Look at the bird of the air: they neither sow
nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not of more value than they?” This verse means a lot to me, because it
reminds me to fully trust in God. Living with CRPS (Complex Regional Pain
Syndrome), it is easy to feel anxious about the future. This verse reminds me that the Lord cares for
me, knows my every need, and will provide.

The
trees represent each season of the year: spring, summer, fall, and winter. They
also represent the seasons of life. This symbolizes that no matter what season
we are going through in life, whether good times or hard times, it reminds us
that the Lord is always with us in every season life brings.

The
birds in the painting are a representation of the birds mentioned in Matthew
6:26. However, notice that all of the birds are the same color except for one.
One bird is orange, while the rest are black.
The orange bird represents a person with CRPS. This signifies how CRPS
is an invisible illness, and how patients like me often blend in with everyone
else even though we are different. Even
though you cannot see our pain, we try our best every day to fly right along
next to the other birds.